Yarn-dyeing machine



March 25, 1924. 1,488,297

G. T. THOMAYER YARN DYEING MACHINE Filed Sept. 30. 1922 2 Sheets-Shoot 1 44 J4 16 in awuwttoz G. T THOMHYER 351 abto'ww March 25, 1924. 1,488,297

7 G. T. THOMAYER YARN DYEING MACHINE Filed Sept. 30. 1922 2 sheets-shut 2 v Ci T THOMfIYER reamed-Mar. 25, 1924.

GEORGE r. THOMAYER, or ALBANY, NEW YORK, Assrenoa' T0 rum) AND HATCH xmr'rme COMPANY, A CORPORATION on NEW YORK.

YARN-DYEING- MACHINE.

Application filed September 30, 1922. Serial No. 591,475.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE T. THOMAYER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Albany, county of Albany, Sta-te'of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Yarn-Dyeing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to a method of and apparatus for dyeing yarn, and. more particularly, to a method and apparatus for dyeing yarn at intervals or in spots to form a random yarn as the yarn passes from an unwinding to a winding bobbin.

In apparatus heretofore used for this purpose, the yarn has been forcibly pressed against a printing or dyeing surface in such a manner as to friotionally engage and wipe the printing or dyeing surface. This pressure and wiping action, however, tended to scrape off fibres from the yarn as it passed against the pressing or depressing surfaces or eyelets and as it was wiped against the dyeing surface. The lint formed in this manner collected on the yarn and on the dye wiping surface and became saturated with dye and with dust and dirt. A quantity of the lint was continually thereby formed and this lint with the accumulated dust and dirt became attached to the yarn giving the resulting yarn and subsequently the knitted cloth, a dirty, ragged appearance. An' object of the present invention is' to provide an apparatus by which yarn may be rapidly dyed at intervals to form a random dyed yarn of clean and pleasing appearance.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus by which yarn is lightly touched on the dyeing means at intervals without pressure or wiping action.

A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus by which yarn may bedyed in a random fashion while passing to a winding spool or bobbin without the formation of troublesome quantities of lint.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a method of dyeing yarn in a random fashion without the formation of lint and to produce-a yarn of clean appearance.

Still further objects of the invention comprisethe provision of an improved dye applying means, an improved randoming means and other improvements in the apparatus and method of dyeing yarn.

With these and other objects in view, the

invention comprises the apparatus and Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken through a dye applying means and randomer device forming a portion of the apparatus of Fig.

1, the upward throw of the yarn being indicated in dotted lines and the position of the threads when receiving the dye in full lines,

both being exaggerated.

Fig. 3 1s a top view of a dye container and applying roller or wheel illustrated in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a detail view on an enlarged scale of the dye applying roller, a portion being broken away to illustrate the interior structure of the wheel.

Fig. 5 is a detail View of an absorbing plug for the dye applying wheel illustrated in Fig. 4, and

Fig. 6 is a detail perspective View of the randomer or device for tossing the yarn up from the dyeing surface.

In the present invention, the yarn in passing at a high speed from an unwinding cop to a winding bobbin is permitted at intervals to lightly touch upon a surface covered with a suitable dye. The yarn is so guided over the dyeapplying surface as to gravitate upon and thus contact lightly, by virtue only of its weight, with the dye applying surface and thus soak up or absorb the dye when hanging loosely between supporting guides on. opposite sides of the said dyeing surface. The yarn is thrown lightly upwardly and permitted to fall back to the dye surface by the action of gravity and remain in contact with the dye surfaceuntil again thrown upwardly, thus causing the yarn to. be dyed for the desired length.

This action repeated, gives asuccession of dyed spots upon the yarn. A roller 61' wheel rotating in the same direction as the scribed or shown as they are, of standardconstruction and do not form a part of the invention. Referring to the accompanying drawings, the yarn 9 is taken from-an untus of the; present invention to a win winding cop 10 and passes through guiding eyelets 12 and through the dyeing appgill'lag bobbin '14. the winding of the yarn on the bobbin being .guided'by means of a guiding device 16-of the-usual type. I v

As the yarn passes from the -eyelets 12 throu h the dyeing apparatus it passes over a guide wheel or pulley 18 and were dye containing tank 20 to eyelets 22 and 24 -from which it passes to the guide 16 and bobbin 14. A dye ap lying wheel or roller 26 is so positioned in t e tank 20 that its upwhic successively-tosses the passi per periphery lightly touches the yarn and, as the wheel is rotated, carries a film of dye solution to a position tobe absorbed or soaked up by the yarn. Itis neither necessary nor desirable that the dye be rubbed off from the wheel ontothe yarn and the into the tank and contaminate the dye wheel is therefore preferably rotated in a direction to give its periphery the same direction of movement. as the yarn in order'to avoid a rubbing action and the consequent formation 'of lint. 1

The-dyeing of the yarn is interrupted at the desired intervals by means of a-randoming or tossing'device '28 positioned between the 'de pulley 18' and the dye wheel 26 thread to the position shown in dotted es in Figs. 1 and 2 as it passes at a high rate of speed over the dye. wheel and permits it-to fall back into contact with the dye wheel.

; The randomeris preferably in the form of a solid wheelhaving ves or kerfs '30 cut into its periphery to form flat chord sur-' faces 32 extending diametrically to opposite parts of the periphery. When the surfaces 32 are level with the top of the dye wheel the yarn is permitted to fall and when the ends of this surface are brought upwardly against the yarnthe. yarn is thrown upwardl -The randomer is preferably rotated m a direction opposite to. the rotation of'the dye wheel 26.

, The dye applym' g constructed to provide a-surfa'ce on which a formed of a horizontal section of heel 26 is preferably film of dye, sufficient to give desired color, is carried out ofthe body of dye liquor and from which the dyemay be t readily taken up or absorbed. The wheel is preferably formed of a circular plate hav mg pockets at intervals in its circumference in which are placed masses of absorbent material; A suitable wheel is shown in Fig. 4 in which embodiment the wheellis formed of a solid disc of metal having a number of holes 34 bored radiall inwardly from the peripheral surface 0 and depth that they meet toward the center of the disc. Plugs 36 of felt or other fibrous absorptive material are inserted into the holes 34 to act asan absorptive medium, the

The plu s 36 may be rectangular strips of the disc. These-holes are preferably of such a sizefelt, as s own in Fig. 5, cut from a piece of g the proper thickness.- The surface of the dye wheel is thereby formed of alternatin sections of felt @soaked in dye liquor an smooth sections of metallic surface from which the dye may be readily absorbed and to which the yarn fibres do not tend to adhere. The face of the disc between the holes 84 may be dished inslightl as at 37.

' The dye tank is prefera 1y covered and tubing in the uppermost surface 0 which are cut radial slits or o enings 38 into which the upper section oft e dye wheel surface rotates. With this construction, and the elimination of the formation of lint, there is very little tendency for dirt to be carried liquor. :A

mounted on a single machine, there. being a row of. .units .onfleachside, of a maghine. e for a number of .wiye wheels and units on one side of the machine, the rotation of the wheels serving to agitate the dye liquor and maintain it in a uniform conditlon. The dye tankmay be supported on the frame of the machine by means of brackets 40. .The ]guide pulleys 18 "are supported individua y from the tank by means of indlvidual brackets The random or tossing wheels 28 on each sideof the machine are' preferably supported on and rotated ona common shaft 44, which is, in

brackets 46. The shafts 44 and the'random wheels may be driven from the driving shaft of the winding bobbins by means of a belt 48 and a pulley 50 mounted 'on the shaft 44.

The dye wheels 26 are-similarly supported on and rotated by a shaft 52 extending through the ends of. the dye tanks. The shaft 52 is also driven by means of a pulley number of cops, winding bobbinsand dye applying wheels are usually ipe or 'A- single dye tankmay be used turn, supported from thetank 20 by means of i 54 mounted on the end outside of the dye tank and driven from the bobbin driving shaft by means of a belt 56.

By means of the above invention the yarn passes over the dye applying wheel in a freely flappin or Wave motion, in the lower position of w ich it absorbs dye from the wheel and in the upper position is left free from dye. The production of lint is reduced to a minimumand a clean appearing, random dyeing of uniform uninjured texture is produced.

Having described the. invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A method of random dyeing yarn by lightly touching the moving yarn in spaced sections with a surface wetted with dye liquor. V

2. A method of random dyeing yarn by causing moving yarn to swing freely at intervals in contact with a dyeing surface.

3. A method of dyeing yarn by lightly touching moving yarn upon a dyeing surface in spaced sections by intermittently gravitating the yarn thereupon.

4. A method of random dyeing yarn which comprises passing said yarn over and in contact with a surface wetted with dye liquor and throwing said yarn from said surface at intervals.

5. A method of random dyeing yarn which comprises passing said yarn over a surface wetted'with dye li uor and permitting said yarn to drop against said surface at successive intervals.

6. A method of random dyeing yarn which comprises passing said yarn continuously over a dye surface, causing said dye surface to travel in the same direction as said yarn forming a film .of dye liquor on said surface, and permitting said yarn to drop against said surface at successive intervals.

7. A method of random dyeing yarn which comprises maintaining a film of dye liquor on a dyeing surface, passing yarn over said surface and causing said yarn to flap into and out of contact with said film of dye liquor.

8. An apparatus of the kind described which comprises, means for maintaining a film of d e liquor, means for passing yarn over sai film and means for permitting said yarn .to drop lightly on said film at successive intervals.

9. An apparatus of the kind described which comprises a dye surface, means for.

maintaining a film of dye liquor on said surface, means for passing yarn lightly over said surface and means for lightly throwing said yarn out of contact with said film at successive intervals.

10. An apparatus of ,the kind described which comprises a rotating surface, means .means for throwing said yarn upwardly from said'surface at successive intervals.

12. An apparatus of the kind described which comprises, means for unwinding yarn,

means for winding yarn, means for gulding said winding means, means'for Wetting said guided yarn with a dye liquor and means for throwing said yarn out of contact with said wetting means at successive intervals.

13. An apparatus of the kind described which comprises means for passing yarn from an unwinding means to a winding means, means for giving said yarn a loosely waving motion and means for wetting said yarn in one direction of its wavin motion, by permitting said yarn to fall lightly on a dye liquor surface.

14. An apparatus of the kind described which,- comprises a dye containing tank, guides on opposite sides of said tank, means for passing yarn through said guides, a dye wheel rotatin in said tank in position to be wetted with ye liquor and to support yarn passing through said guides, and a tossing means between said guides having rotating surfaces adapted to throw. said yarn upwardly from said dye wheel.

15. An apparatus of the kind described which comprises a series of unwinding means and a series of winding bobbins, a tank of dye liquor between said unwindingv and winding means, a series of dye applying wheels in said tanks, means for guiding yarn from said unwinding means in light contact with the u per surface of said wheels, a shaft exten ing lengthwise of said tank and rotating means on said shaft for tossing said yarn upwardly from said dye applying wheels at successive intervals.

'said yarn from said unwinding means to I 16. An apparatus of the kind described GEORGE-T. THOMAYER. 

